The Depth
by mangamslx
Summary: AU. Following the nine tails attack, Mikoto Uchiha takes in an orphaned Naruto Uzumaki as her own. Naruto Sasuke and Itachi are then raised like brothers, and after the massacre, everything changes. Eventual naruhina/sasusaku/mentions of other (probably canon) relationships. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Prologue

Mikoto stood frozen in place, staring through the glass in front of her at a sleeping baby boy. He looked so peaceful. So blissfully unaware of the tragedy that already consumed his young life. She analyzed him, looking for even a sliver of resemblance to her passed friend. Disappointingly she took in his blonde hair and realized that even if he was Kushina's son, he was sure to take on more of his father.

 _Minato._ She had a vague idea of what happened; the two of them sacrificing their lives and placing that beast inside of their child, all for the sake of the village. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. She would not cry again. She knew it was not what Kushina would have wanted. She and Minato had given their lives for her own and for the others around her, and she would not seem unappreciative of that fact by continuing to cry. At least not here. Not in front of their son.

She knew how ostracized this child would be for harboring a monster – something he himself had absolutely no control over. And even worse, he would be completely alone. An orphan practically left to fend for himself. She became painfully aware of the small frame in her arms and young boy by her side. She squeezed her son's hand and turned to face him, offering him a sad smile. He started at her blankly, obviously much too young to understand the gravity of the situation, but perceptive enough to pick up his mother's emotions. He returned her squeeze and continued to stare into her eyes until she looked away, facing the young boy through the glass once more. She thought about Itachi, and how he had been raised up until then. He had always known love – protective, strict love, but love nonetheless. She rubbed her fingertips against the back of Sasuke's head with the fingers that were already supporting his tiny neck, and knew that he too would know love. Would Kushina's son be so lucky as to experience that? Despite his situation, his fallen parents and the beast inside him, would someone come to love him, cherish him, watch after him?

She slowly closed her eyes again, but this time, she was not trying to gain control over her emotions. Instead, she was trying to gather her confidence. She would not leave him – could not leave him. They had given their lives for this village. The least she could do was take care of the life they had left behind… their poor baby boy.

Although she could not hear him, she could see that Naruto had begun to cry. She wondered if he felt a similar ache, if he already somehow knew that no one had come for him. Her heart leapt in her chest. She felt a tremendous need to care for this young boy. New tears welled in her eyes.

"Okaasan." She felt a tug on her arm, and she looked down to see Itachi staring at her questioningly. "Why are you crying?" She took her hand from her son's and patted his head affectionately.

"Come, Itachi. We're going home now."

"Absolutely not." He pronounced each syllable slowly, as if trying to make himself more clear. As if he hadn't been clear enough the first time.

"Fugaku, please…"

"Mikoto! I won't say it again. We have no need to take care of that boy. He's not an Uchiha, he's an outsider—"

"He is a child!"

Mikoto was not one to argue with her husband. In fact, most people weren't. As a trusted clan head it was not often that Fugaku experienced opposition. She couldn't think of any other time she had fought so hard for something. She hoped Fugaku realized that too, that she was serious.

He glared at her but did not speak. He was giving her a chance to apologize for the tone she was taking with him.

But her tone was not something she felt the need to apologize for.

"Fugaku, they gave their lives! Kushina… gave her life…" Her anger dissipated into sadness. As much as Fugaku wanted to continue arguing with her, he could not help but offer his wife some small comfort. He leaned over the table that separated them and placed his hand on her small forearm. She looked up at him, and at the sight of her tear streaked cheeks and slightly puffed out red eyes, most of the fight left his voice.

"He is not ours to take care of, Mikoto."

"I have never asked you for much," she said to him. "I am asking you to please, please, let me care for this child… the child of my friend. At least until he is old enough to care for himself." Fugaku turned away from her, and although his frustration was radiating off of him, she continued, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I've already given up so much…"

He pulled himself away from her then, and was about to make another remark when Mikoto raised her hand in front of her, as a way to respectfully quiet him. She had heard the familiar sound of padding footsteps, the ones of her eldest son. She looked over her shoulder and saw Itachi pulling his head back behind the wall, trying to appear as if he wasn't peeking on them. "Itachi," Fugaku called, moving away from the table. "Why are you awake?" his tone was darker than the one he usually took with Itachi, and Mikoto knew it was because she had angered him. She stood from her seat, deciding to give up their disagreement for the night, telling herself he had not heard the last of this.

"I will take care of Itachi," she said softly. She could not meet his gaze; she stared transfixed at his chest for a few seconds before looking at the ground beneath her. She sighed softly, quickly composing herself before she had to act normal in front of her son. As she turned away from her husband she felt him grab her arm. Eyes wide, she turned to face him.

He released her arm and cupped her face tenderly, his thumb resting on her cheekbone. Seemingly forgetting Itachi was there, he spoke to her again. "Mikoto. I have made you my wife. I strive for your happiness." She didn't speak. Instead, she closed her eyes, ever so slightly leaning in to his touch. "Is this really what you want to do? You want to take on this responsibility?" She nodded imperceptibly.

"Itachi, to your room. Okaasan will be there shortly."

When she sensed that Itachi had left their vicinity, she opened her eyes to meet her husband's gaze. He leaned in closely, his mouth to her ear, giving nothing away until he whispered roughly: "He is not my son. Do not expect me to treat him as such." With that he released his hold on her and turned away, leaving her alone with her thoughts.


	2. Prologue II

**This is still a prologue-ish chapter. I tried to make it longer, so I hope it's not too short.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

"Sorry boys. Maybe next time, okay?"

Naruto turned his head slightly, watching Sasuke rub his forehead. He rolled his eyes, huffing as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, right! You always say that." He pivoted his torso to the left, turning to look at the equally annoyed boy beside him. "Right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's eyes did not leave his older brother's. "R-right!" His cheeks puffed out as he spoke. "Niisan, you always do this!"

Itachi watched them both with a sad smile. He ruffled Naruto's hair and the boy groaned in response.

"Come on, Itachi! Just one justu!" Itachi put one hand on his hip, the other dangling at his side. "Hmm. Sorry Naruto, can't do it."

Naruto placed both hands on his hips and leaned back, attempting to appear taller and mocking Itachi's stance in a child-like way. "You're just scared I'll be better at it than you!"

"You could never be better than Niisan!" Sasuke shot an accusatory finger at Naruto, and the two of them broke into their typical fit of bickering. Itachi eyes danced with amusement as he watched their exchange, and after a few minutes he cleared his throat. Sasuke looked up at him almost instantaneously—a fine-tuned reaction, and Naruto continued to bicker at him, nearly oblivious to the fact that Sasuke was no longer paying him any mind.

"Naruto, Sasuke. Let's head back. Okaasan is probably waiting for us to return."

At the mention of her name Naruto immediately stopped talking and straightened his back, their argument forgotten.

He was old enough now to recognize that he looked nothing like Fugaku and Mikoto, and no longer naïve enough to think they were his parents. He of course did not fully understand the situation, did not know who his parents were or what had happened to them. Naturally, upon noticing the stark resemblance between Itachi and Sasuke, a resemblance he did not share, he'd become curious.

* * *

During that time he spent a few days thinking of the best way to approach Mikoto, as he was not comfortable enough to ask Fugaku. Eventually the words just came out. "You're not my mother, are you?" He caught Mikoto off-guard, her face reddening. Thinking he had upset her, his words sounding harsher than he meant them to, he quickly continued before she could speak. "I-I just meant… I know that you're… you're…" His words faded; he wasn't sure how to redeem himself.

She'd sat on next to him on his bed and placed her hand atop his, ever the affectionate mother. She thought over her words carefully; she didn't want to upset Naruto, but she did want to be honest with him.

She spoke softly, a smile playing at her lips. "Naruto… what is a mother?"

His eyed widened and he was quiet for a minute, staring blankly at their joined hands. The heat transferring from her larger, softer hand warmed his heart. He slanted his eyes and looked to the side as he blushed softly, too embarrassed to look at her. "A mother is… the person who holds you in their belly. And… the person who takes care of you when you come out."

"Hmm…" She tilted her head and looked at the ceiling, tapping her index finger on her chin in thought. "Well, Naruto," she looked back at him, at his unruly blonde hair and at the whisker markings on his cheeks, "if that's what a mother is, then I guess I am more like the last part."

He looked back at her in surprise, his blush deepening as she held his gaze. "So, does that mean…"

"You're quite bright, aren't you, Naruto?" She closed her eyes briefly as she smiled, and she squeezed his hand.

"Uh, well… hmm…" She laughed as she took in his embarrassment. "So then, you are my mom?"

Her hand was still lying on top of his, both of their palms facing the bed, and she linked her fingers with his. "Naruto, you're special, and very lucky. Do you want to know why?" he nodded at her enthusiastically. "Well, it's because you have two moms!"

"Two… moms? So where is—"

"Your other mom, Naruto, she would love to be with you right now. But she can't…" his brow furrowed and he broke their eye-contact, choosing to stare at their entwined fingers. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure when you'll get to see her again. But until you do, I'm going to take care of you." She rubbed her thumb on top of his hand. "Only if you're okay with it, of course." He shot his eyes back to hers.

"Of course, O-Okaasan!" He threw his arms over her shoulders and buried his face in the crook of her neck. She ran her hand up and down his back, soothing him, thankful that he still felt comfortable enough to refer to her so affectionately.

* * *

It had been two years since then. Now seven years old, and having arrived back from training, Naruto sat next to Sasuke at the dining table, Itachi across from them, with Fugaku and Mikoto sitting at either ends of the table. They all ate silently, even Naruto, who had learned not to be so boisterous at the table. What little conversation taking place was light, mainly Fugaku complimenting Mikoto's cooking, or asking Itachi about his missions, his trainings, and his 'progress'. Fugaku, to both Naruto and Sasuke's surprise, actually asked how things were going at the academy. Sasuke replied enthusiastically, telling his father about his high achievements and all that he was learning. Naruto chose not to speak; Fugaku had never been purposefully mean to Naruto, but he was usually very curt, and could be cold, causing Naruto to choose not to speak unless directly spoken to.

"And you, Naruto?"

Naruto stared at his plate, afraid to look in Fugaku's direction. "Things are… okay. S-Sasuke and I are in the same class, a-and so I've been learning too and doing well and—"

Sasuke hissed in his ear. "Don't lie to Otousan!"

Naruto's face blanched. Sasuke's hiss had been as well intentioned as it could be; he didn't mean for his parents to hear, but Naruto knew that they had. He could practically hear Fugaku's frown deepen.

"Now Sasuke," Mikoto said politely, "Naruto is very bright. Just like the two of you." She turned her face to Naruto then. "Right, Naruto?"

"R-right!" It was often that Mikoto came to his rescue. She'd be lying if she said she didn't do it for herself as much as she did it for him; taking in Naruto had put a strain on her relationship with Fugaku. It was something he had never grown accustomed to over these last seven years, and although he was civil with Naruto, he had never been accepting.

Her choice to care for him had also taken a toll on her position as Uchiha matriarch. Some of the more humble and caring members of her clan had been accepting of Naruto, understanding of her decision to take him in, but those members were far and few between. Most of the clan now held distaste for her and her newfound son, choosing to pretend he didn't exist, much like the rest of the village. It saddened her that she couldn't protect Naruto from being ostracized, not even within the confines of her own clan. But, she had at least been able to give him a home, had been able to honor her friend in some small way, and that enough made taking him in worth it. Even if her husband regarded her as weak for it.

Fugaku chose not to comment, one of his better reactions to Naruto. The rest of the dinner went by in silence. Once Fugaku pardoned them, Sasuke and Naruto approached Itachi again, asking him to train with them outside. Before he could respond, Fugaku called to him.

"Itachi, there's something we need to discuss."

Sasuke groaned and raised his hand, mumbling, "Don't say it." Itachi smiled at him before leaving the room.

"I'll train with you, Sasuke! We don't need him!" Naruto said as he punched the air with his fist. Sasuke hummed and looked around the room for a minute before shouting, "Okay!" much to Naruto's surprise. Sasuke dashed by him on his way outside, making it a point to have their shoulders impact before he passed him. Naruto growled lowly in his throat before chasing after him.

"Getting outside before me doesn't make you better than me, ya know?!"

Mikoto smirked as she watched them and noticed how much Naruto resembled Kushina when he was bantering with Sasuke. She was at ease knowing that even if Naruto had no one else in this world, if his parents were gone and if his village despised him for what he was, her son would always be by his side.

 **AN: I apologize if the lines are confusing. I couldn't figure out how to get ff to let me make little dashes separating sections...**


	3. Friendship

**This is a bit longer, but I wanted to give you guys a longer chapter, so hopefully it doesn't disappoint.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

Reluctantly, Naruto formed the sign for the seal of reconciliation and reached his fingers out to Sasuke, who had beaten him in their sparring match. Again. Sasuke had beat him in plenty of spars before, and it had never been too big of a deal, only this time they were sparring as part of a training exercise during the last of day of their first week at the academy, and everyone had seen Naruto lose.

He twisted his mouth in an irritated pout and looked at his instructor.

"Iruka-sensei!" he pulled his hand back before Sasuke could complete the seal, and crouched into a defensive position. His fingers were held in front of his face, right between his eyes. "Let me take him one more time! That was just luck-ttebayo!"

Sasuke crossed his arms and grumbled his disapproval.

"You can prove yourself to everyone next time, Naruto," Iruka said with a little bend of his neck, his smile failing to hide his irritation. "Make the seal."

Naruto held his fingers out to a snickering Sasuke and they formed the seal, signaling their respect for one another as comrades. Once their hands fell away from each other, Naruto walked towards his friend and stood by his side.

Sasuke brought his face to Naruto's ear and cupped it, as if hiding his mouth as he stared ahead at the pink-haired girl across the field. "She's staring at me again…" he whispered in a rushed voice, sounding anxious and displeased.

Naruto turned his own face to look at Sasuke, who had not broken eye contact with his offender. "Baka! She's staring at me!" Sasuke gave Naruto and exasperated look, rolling his eyes.

"H-he looked at me!" Sakura said, excitement radiating off of her. "What do you think they're talking about?" The blonde next to her looked her up and down, her hand motioning her eyes movements as she feigned disinterest. "Why don't you go find out?"

Sakura gasped softly, her cheeks reddening. "…Ino …y-you think?"

"What?!" Ino gaped at her friend. "N-no—" She watched as Sakura nervously approached the two boys across from them. "Sakura!" She began chasing after her but quickly changed her mind, deciding to stay close enough to hear their conversation but far enough to keep her distance.

She wrung her hands as she approached them. "Sasuke…?" He looked at her, a form of acknowledgement, but did not speak. She stared down at her feet as she gathered the courage to talk to her crush. Naruto was looking at her wide-eyed, subconsciously leaning his body towards her as he anticipated her next words. He was waiting for her to acknowledge him, to say his name, to ask him questions.

She raised her head and mumbled shyly, "Congratulations, Sasuke…"

"Er, thanks." He said simply, looking away from her. "Naruto, we should go. Itachi might be waiting for us today." He walked past Sakura without giving her a second glance, Naruto in tow. They'd nearly gone past Ino when he heard her speak again.

"Wait, Sasuke!" He turned his head back to look at her without moving his body. Naruto was by his side, fully facing Sakura. "I thought maybe we could… hang out… to… celebrate…" She gave him a sheepish look, embarrassed by her seemingly lame suggestion.

"Say yes, Aniki!" Naruto roughly whispered, "I want to spend time with Sakura-chan!" Sakura heard him, but pretended she didn't, as she continued to wait for Sasuke's response.

"Uh, no than—"

"WE'D LOVE TO!" Sasuke glared at his friend. "Oh, come on! What are the chances Itachi is here?" He poked him in the ribs with his elbow, and leaned over to whisper in his ear, loud enough for Sakura to hear him again, "don't you wanna spend time with a beautiful girl?!" He laughed cheekily, but raised his head and rubbed the back of his neck when he heard Sasuke growl. When his friend made no other response, he took that as a sign of victory.

"Come on, Sakura-chan!" The three of them fell into step together, and Sakura looked back in time to see Ino walking the other in way. Sakura could not tell if it was in jealousy or irritation, but at the moment, she couldn't get herself to care.

* * *

Their next few weeks played out this way. Whenever Itachi was on a mission, or was otherwise too preoccupied to meet Sasuke and Naruto at the end of the day at the academy, they would stay out with Sakura. Some days Sakura was busy spending time with Ino, and on those days the boys would just go home normally. But whenever the three of them could get together, they would spend their afternoons enjoying their childhood the way normal, civilian kids would: racing outside, playing games, or watching in embarrassment as the blonde member of their trio pulled pranks, no matter how often he got caught.

Naruto noticed Sasuke and Sakura's relationship starting to blossom. He was opening up to her in a way that he had previously reserved for only Itachi and himself. Their relationship both bugged and excited him. He was jealous that Sakura was very obviously more interested in his friend, someone he saw as a bit of a big brother, but he also found joy in the fact that Sasuke was both capable of and willing to open up to another person.

* * *

Sasuke was growing more and more used to Sakura's presence, which is why he'd agreed to help her with her training one weekend while Itachi was away. They met outside of the compound, on a training ground that was mostly used by genins. Sasuke knew however that most genin, like chunin and jonin, preferred to do their training in the morning. It was late enough in the day when he met up with Sakura for no one else to be around. Surprisingly, even Naruto had decided to sit out.

They were practicing basic hand-to-hand combat, and Sakura quickly realized that she could not keep up. She was able to block most of his punches, a feat she was proud of, but a particularly rough guard-break from Sasuke had her falling into the dirt face first. She was able to mostly protect herself by letting her arm take the damage for her, but that didn't stop tears from welling in her eyes.

As upset as she was, she refused to look weak.

"You're pretty good at this, huh, Sasuke?" She smiled up at him, successfully keeping her tears from falling.

"I have to be." He returned.

"R-right, with your brother and all…" An uncomfortable silence fell between them, and it left her feeling uneasy. "You know Sasuke, I think one day, you'll be just as good as your brother. No… you'll be even better!"

Sasuke sat down next to her, crossing his legs in front of him. "Hn."

She pushed herself into a sitting position, mimicking Sasuke's, and they sat in silence again. Although he had been opening up to her, to a point where she thought he considered her a friend, she knew he was still not much of a talker. She patted her shoulder, trying to rid of the dirt that had accumulated on her clothes, and then she moved to running her hands through her hair, disentangling the knots, grooming herself. Usually, fixing herself up made her feel better, but today, it made her feel silly. Here was Sasuke, sweaty, but not as sweaty as her, disheveled, clothes a mess, but the last thing he seemed to care about was his appearance. A blush spread across her face.

"What is it, Sakura?"

She was self-conscious. About her priorities, but mostly about her abilities. She looked at him and their eyes met; his stoic, serious, and her eyes displaying everything she was feeling. She knew that she couldn't lie, that he was mature beyond his years and that because of that he would see right through her.

She decided to tell a half-truth.

"I can't keep up with you…" she dropped her gaze, choosing to star at his thigh instead of his face. Her voice was low as she continued, "I don't know if I'll ever be able to."

When he didn't speak, and gave her no indication that he was going to, she kept going. "I'm worried that I'll never be able to catch up to you. Or even Naruto!" She paused before finishing, "…I don't want to be dead last."

Sasuke let her words rumble around in his head; he was caught off-guard by her honestly, her trust in him to accept her insecurities and not shove them back in her face. She was aware of her weaknesses—something he could not say for some of their other comrades in the academy, and he respected her for it. He found a new appreciation for her. As someone who was able to be so honest with herself about her own abilities, he deemed her a trustworthy comrade.

He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey." She looked up at him, surprised by both their physical contact and his gentle tone.

"Don't compare yourself to me." And then he paused, squeezing her shoulder before dropping his hand back into his own lap.

"We should do this more, on the weekends. We'll keep working, until you're more confident. And then you'll get a sensei who can train you better than I can."

She smiled at him as he stood, offering her his hand. As he pulled her up from the ground and took his hand away, she said, "I hope one day we end up on the same team, Sasuke."

He looked away from her without responding. Eventually he started walking, and they fell into step together. "I'll walk you home."

* * *

Fugaku took note of how frequently Sasuke was out of the compound, and he was not happy about it at all. Itachi was not like this as a child. He had always spent his free time training or working towards the betterment of the clan—not socializing with his friends, as Fugaku saw it. He'd even begun spending his time on the weekends outside of clan grounds, much to his frustration. This was the third time this month that Sasuke had arrived home on a Saturday with just enough time to clean himself up for dinner after spending the day out.

While sitting at the table, picking at his grilled mackerel, he decided that tonight he would talk to Sasuke about his misdoings. After a particularly silent dinner, he excused everyone from the table but Sasuke. Mikoto hesitated, staring at her husband as she froze with her body half-lifted from the table. Fugaku narrowed his eyes at her, a warning that he was not to be argued with, and she left the room.

Sasuke bowed his head in a respectful gesture, waiting to be spoken to.

"You've been gone frequently, Sasuke." He crossed his arms. "Explain yourself."

Sasuke lifted his head. "Otousan, I have been training. Please forgive me."

"With?"

"A student from the academy," he started, "Haruno—"

"Haruno?" Fugaku cut him off roughly, his frown deepening. "Sasuke, you know you are not to associate yourself with those outside of our clan. They are not to be trusted."

Sasuke lowered his head, not wanting to speak.

After a beat, Fugaku continued. "People are not as trustworthy as they seem. Not even those in your own home."

Sasuke's eyed widened in response, but still, he did move.

"Look at me, Musuko." Sasuke raised his head, facing his father's pensive look. "If something were to happen to Itachi, you are second in line to take my place. That means the fate of the Uchiha clan would rest on your shoulders. Do you understand?"

Sasuke nodded in response. "I need to trust that when you are older and able, you will have the capabilities to surpass me. That includes having the intellect and the judgment to know who you can and cannot trust."

A few silent moments passed between them.

"At your age, Itachi was able to understand this, so I hope you are as mature and intelligent as he was."

"Hai."

"I need to trust you. Your behavior has been questionable." Fugaku stood. "Right now, you do not fully have my trust."

Sasuke's gaze wavered; his father's words were striking him deep. He stayed in his sitting position, now looking up at the man before him.

"If you want to gain my trust, there is something that you can do."

"Anything, Otousan."

Fugaku closed his eyes and gave Sasuke a curt nod. "Understand this: as you get older, you need to be wary of those around you. Not everyone has your best interests in their hearts, and your best interests lie with that of the clan." He crossed his arms over his chest again and closed his eyes.

"Naruto is an outsider. And just like the rest of the village, he is not to be trusted." Sasuke wanted to stand up, to tell his father that he was wrong, to defend his friend, but he could not.

"If you want to earn my trust, Sasuke, you will keep a watchful eye on that boy for me. One day, you will be glad that you did."

All he could do was watch as his father left the room. Once he had gone, he whispered to himself, "Yes, Otousan," and rose from the table. He walked to his room and shut the door, succumbing to silence, and allowed himself to fully process the weight of his father's request.


End file.
